The present invention relates to microreactor technology. Microreactors are commonly referred to as microstructured reactors, microchannel reactors, or microfluidic devices. Regardless of the particular nomenclature utilized, the microreactor is a device in which a moving or static target sample is confined and subject to processing. In some cases, the processing involves the analysis of chemical reactions. In others, the processing is executed as part of a manufacturing process utilizing two distinct reactants. In either case, the dimensions of the confined space are on the order of about 1 mm. Microchannels are the most typical form of such confinement and the microreactor is usually a continuous flow reactor, as opposed to a batch reactor. The reduced internal dimensions of the microchannels provide considerable improvement in mass and heat transfer rates. In addition, microreactors offer many advantages over conventional scale reactors, including vast improvements in energy efficiency, reaction speed, reaction yield, safety, reliability, scalability, etc.
Microreactors are often employed to introduce two separate reactants into a common microchannel network. Typically, the microchannel network and the associated components for directing the reactants to the proper microchannels within the network are fairly complex and need to be configured for operation under high temperatures and pressures. As a result, conventional microreactor configurations, such as that disclosed in published international patent application WO-2007-036513 employ a variety of fluidic ducts, fittings, adapters, O-rings, screws, clamps, and other types of connection elements to interconnect various microstructures within the microreactor configuration. Each of these elements increases the complexity of the system and is a potential source of leakage or other error within the system. The present invention relates generally to the design of a microreactor assembly that reduces the use of many of the aforementioned components and, as such, addresses these design issues.